


The Nice Doctor

by navaan



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Introspection, Public Call Exchange 2013, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-28
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 21:37:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1061925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Turlough gets to know the Doctor better, but he knows the Black Guardian will return soon and hold him to their bargain. Set before <i>Enlightenment</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Nice Doctor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ginger_timelady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginger_timelady/gifts).



“Earth, earth, why is it _always_ earth?” Turlough asked as he stepped out of the Tardis after Tegan. “We could go to an interesting planet for a change.”

“Now, now, Turlough. Don't be so judgemental. Earth _is_ quite an interesting place. Never had much reason to be bored here.” The Doctor was putting on his hat, looking neither at Turlough or Tegan in particular, but to a point somewhere in the distance over their heads.

“That is because you run into trouble wherever you go, Doctor,” Tegan reminded him. “You wouldn't have reason to be bored anywhere. I'd be fine with a little more boredom now and then.”

When Turlough looked at her, he noticed for the first time that she was still a little pale and her eyes were sad. Nyssa had left them only a few days ago, and apparently the girls had been pretty close, so her parting had been hard on Tegan. But just because she was wallowing in misery, Turlough saw no reason to treat Tegan any differently than he normally would, so he sneered at her and asked: “What are you doing with him then?” He nodded in the Doctor's direction. “He's a trouble magnet.”

“So are you. And according to you we're on a boring planet, anyway. So I'm fine, thanks,” she shot back and marched forward, looking around. “Where are we?” 

“Republic of the Seven United Netherlands near Leiden. Thought we might take a look around and take the chance to observe a young Rembrandt at work,” the Doctor answered.

“Oh,” Tegan said, sounding more interested immediately. 

Turlough, who'd had quite enough of being educated about earth history during his time at that earth school he'd been forced to attend, sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets. “Aren't we dressed a little conspicuous? Won't people notice?” he asked.

Tegan looked down at herself, frowning, but then turning to the Doctor, waiting for his reaction.

It was really amazing how people tended to do just that: Turn to the Doctor for help and advice. Turlough told himself again and again, how annoying it was, but he'd caught himself doing it, too. The Doctor even when he could be difficult and annoyingly superior, had also turned out to be easily likeable. He was a bit nosy when it came to other people's business and ended up solving other people's problems and getting them all into danger more often then not, but so far Turlough hadn't seen anything that would actually make him hate the man. He had hoped to _hate_ the man, purely out of an instinct of self preservation, because the Black Guardian would come back to force Turlough's hand one days. And it would be so much easier to kill someone you hated...

Unfortunately Turlough, for all his professions of being bored and annoyed, had come to like travelling with the Doctor in the Tardis. And liking the Doctor had not been part of his plan.

“I better get a coat at least,” Tegan whispered to herself and stepped back towards the blue police box, and vanished behind it before the Doctor could protest.

“There's no need for that, really. Most of the time people don't ask questions,” the Doctor muttered to himself.

“That's because you always act as if nothing's out of the ordinary.”

“Of course, I do, Turlough. Nothing is wrong with how we dress. And people usually come up with their own neat explanations, sooner than we could come up with a convincing lie.”

“Humans,” Turlough muttered.

“Everyone,” the Doctor insisted. “It works on Gallifrey.”

That made Turlough laugh a little. He could imagine a planet full of air-headed geniuses like the Doctor, but from what Nyssa told him Time Lords were actually not all like the one they were travelling with. “How did you find out?”

“Oh, I... I _rescued_ an old Tardis, before it could be dismantled, by acting like I had the clearance... Well, never mind. What's taking Tegan so long?”

“She's probably freshening up in case someone wants to paint her portrait.”

“You think she'd like that?” The Doctor was smiling to himself, satisfied.

“Ah,” Turlough said. “That's why we're here. We're here to cheer up Tegan.”

“You're a clever chap. Hadn't you figured that out already?”

He just nodded and hoped his expression didn't give much away. Turlough knew he was selfish, preoccupied with his own survival in a world that hadn't dealt him the best of hands. He wanted someone to look out for his well being, just like the Doctor was looking out for Tegan, and had done for Nyssa. And sometimes he thought that the Doctor was already looking our for him, too. 

A warm feeling took hold of him at the thought, but then he remembered the Guardian and his thoughts turned gloomy again.

* * *

Of course, they never did get to meet Rembrandt, because they got involved in another little alien plot to take over earth, after Turlough got swallowed by a Garnerian displacement field, but Tegan's mood had lightened considerably anyway by the time they arrived back at the Tardis. Turlough even managed to smile at her, when she patted him on the shoulder. “At least we're back in one piece,” she told him.

And the Doctor had not left him behind.

* * *

“We're not going to earth again?”

“Hm?”

“Not earth again, Doctor?”

“Turlough, for someone who I've met on earth you're quite adamant to not like the place. Has earth not at least given you some nice memories?” The Doctor was looking at him quite expectantly now, his hands still on the console, but frozen above the buttons they'd been about to manipulate. It seemed he had the Doctor's attention for once. 

“Oh, I don't know... School was not all that interesting.”

“It never is.”

“Fair enough.”

The Doctor watched him thoughtfully. “Nothing?”

He sighed and gave it some thought. The Doctor was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. “I like playing chess.”

“Chess?”

“Yes, you know? Board game? Chess? I liked learning how to play chess. It reminded me of home.”

“Did it now? Splendid.” A thoughtful expression cam over the Doctor's face and Turlough wasn't sure if he was considering his words, or was already focused on another problem all together. “I think I saw a chessboard in the library,” he said suddenly.

Turlough hadn't even time enough to blink, before the Doctor set out, calling back from the hallway: “Look after the controls! The Tardis knows what to do, but she's a bit wilful sometimes.”

When the Doctor returned he set out a chessboard on a small table that Tegan and Nyssa had brought to the console room a while back and motioned for Turlough to come and join him. He didn't speak or even ask Turlough if he wanted to play right now, he just sat there, waiting for him to make the first move.

Not sure what to make of it, Turlough sat down opposite him. 

They played for a while. Tegan came in, watched them silently, offering comments here and there. It felt like home. Maybe travelling in the Tardis was exactly what he wanted to do.

A loud beeping sound teared the Doctor's concentration away from the game. He frowned and then looked at Turlough with a rather apologetic expression. “That didn't sound good. Do you want to play for me, Tegan?”

He was up and about the next moment, dancing around the Tardis console, as if his motions alone could make the Tardis work properly again. Tegan sat down in his place and they shared an amused look. “Big surprise, there,” she said.

He chuckled.

One day soon, he'd have to make a decision.

And it would be so much easier to make if the Doctor weren't so nice to him.

But for now, Turlough only wished that they'd go on travelling together in the Tardis without the Guardian catching up with him for as long as possible.

Because at the moment he was quite content to just stay here with the Doctor.


End file.
